Hello folks, and welcome back to Wrong Every Time. Today I figured we’d take a stroll past Shoushin Academy, and check in on Lilisa’s continuing struggle between high-class propriety and raucous sincerity. Having endeavored for a full month to embody all the values demanded by both her academy generally and mother specifically, she has found herself no closer to genuinely, internally embracing those values. She has not learned to love Big Brother; it all still feels like bullshit to her, and that frustration has built until it demanded release, which she has found in the infuriating form of Otoha Kurogane.
Otoha appears to have no difficulty navigating this philosophical dichotomy, freely admitting to Lilisa that rock music is something entirely for her, a private fascination she can “lose herself in” before returning to the expectations of Shoushin. But is it truly possible for rock’s message of liberation to thrive in these narrow cages, or is she merely hoping to embrace rock’s indulgence while denying its ethos? Is the fire that rages in Lilisa’s soul nothing more than a costume Otoha can assume or discard at will? Let’s find out!
Episode 3
“The circumstances have no bearing whatsoever!” Otoha’s explanation of her passion wavers between pure self-indulgence (“a passion only for myself!”) and admiration for rock’s liberative ethos. I wonder if that’s an intentional discordance in her perspective, and if the show will eventually ask her to choose between rock as a “selfish” pleasure and rock as a challenge to authority. Is there courage in her passion, or would she falter like Lilisa if her dual life was ever challenged?
“What other reason could we possibly need aside from loving it?” This seems to imply a larger personal belief: that there is no shame in any authentically held passion. And again, I wonder if this is a belief she’d be willing to fight for
“She has no idea how much I’ve disguised myself!” Understandable that such seemingly light, unconsidered convictions would infuriate Lilisa
Hah, I like this quasi-title drop for the next song they’re playing, as if this is an impromptu music video
High school bands generally have less storybook beginnings than these two; as many other band dramas demonstrate (On-Gaku is one delightful example), the characters are frequently learning as they play, and gaining confidence working in an ensemble as they do so. At my high school, the fact that I could keep 4/4 time on drums was enough to get me subbing in for drummer-less bands at concert events; at college, roughly the same skills got me recruited for a music theater pit. If the youthful talent of these characters intimidates you, don’t let it; taking those first few steps is an exhilarating experience, and to be honest, even most professional rock drummers and guitarists cap out below the level we’re seeing from these two
“Gotta control the notes and mute the strings while letting your passion go crazy!” Forever a tricky balance; not simply inflicting your passion on your instrument, but channeling that fury through its sound. A perfect expression of rage or defiance often requires rigorous restraint in execution, and it is only when actually performing the notes is second nature that you can really add your own expression to them
As always, Lilisa’s mental conception of their battle is extremely horny. Not sure she quite understands what she’s feeling here
“I gave up manga, games, snacks, and even fun trips! Because high class ladies don’t need any of that!” Lilisa here correlates embracing rock music as basically any other kind of personal indulgence, because her conception of high class existence is basically just “austerity.” She sees no joy in her mother’s pursuit, and thus naturally defines her mother’s intended destination as the absence of joy
Of course, I doubt she’d much care for the expressions of wealth and social dominance that are the upper crust’s general sources of satisfaction. Then again, given her sadomasochistic rock dreams…
“All so that those Suzunomiya prudes acknowledge commoners like us!” Yeah, she seems to be hoping that acquiring the Noble Maiden title will count as “achieving victory,” when the truth is this system of backbiting and one-upmanship never ends. The only prize waiting at the other side of acknowledgment is the right to apply that prudish gaze to others
Lilisa then admits to a much more personal source of regret: how her passion for rock music socially isolated her even before she came to this school. Rock might be considered the counterpoint to all this high-class propriety, but it’s no longer the music of the moment; the genre’s peak was decades ago, and at this point, listening to Led Zeppelin as a kid is more likely to isolate you than make you friends. Even if she’s putting up a front, the kids at this school like that front, and she has friends for the first time
For as much as we’d like to think of our artistic taste as being a personal, self-defined thing, where some passion leads you is often at least as important as the impact of the work itself. A passion that introduces you to a community is more likely to be appreciated than one which isolates you; for many, the passion itself is secondary to the sense of belonging it can ultimately provide
I like that Lilisa gets shark teeth specifically when she’s rocking out
Also some nice flourishes of lightning crackling around her as she gets into it, shifting from CG for this rapidly spinning shot to splatters of traditional linework for the slower ones. This production is very good at incorporating CG and traditionally animated techniques, as demonstrated through its mix of CG bodies and traditionally animated faces
Caught in the passion of the performance, Lilisa admits she’s been lying to herself, that she can’t live without this
And this time, the force of their combined performance actually shatters the vase holding their two flowers, which you could interpret as either an expression of liberation or something a bit hornier
The focus on sweat makes rock music feel almost like an exorcism here, draining all the violent energy from their bodies
And this time, they’re immediately at each other’s throats about their performances. An odd conceit; most stories frame group performance as unifying, a way of bonding closer together. Here, every performance is a battle, which I suppose makes a bit more sense for their selfish, perpetually dueling style of play
The two are unified through the glass in this reflection of the room clock’s face
Another charged composition: the two highlighted in adjacent squares of light from the window, their hands clasped in the shadow dividing the two panes. They are overcoming the prison bars of this academy, but their bond must still creep in the shadows, seen only in the window’s own “reflection” on the ground
Thus they decide to start a band
As before, Otoha refuses to separate her two lives, treating Lilisa as a close friend even outside band practice
“This makes it seem like we’re actual friends.” What is more difficult to square is her two affectations – she seems just as sincere here as she does calling Lilisa a useless piece of shit
Sorta love that these background girls are just going through the loosest approximation of physical activity, idly carrying basketballs around as they gossip
In contrast, Lilisa gets fully hyped up about a badminton spike. She’s initially worried her cover is blown, but the girls are actually dazzled by her dramatic display. A crack in her armor, and point of connection between her two selves – could there be a path to genuinely expressing herself while still being loved here?
“D-did I fool them?” Though the stakes are higher here, the underlying reality of “everyone at high school is anxious and staring at their peers for guidance” holds true. Lilisa sees her classmates as threats, but they see her as an inspiration, someone who seems to effortlessly overcome the contradictions of passion and propriety that they’re also presumably struggling with
Her impression of propriety is again challenged in class, when she is praised for her fiery recitation of Macbeth’s challenge to Macduff. She’s not personally passionate about this world’s priorities, but that doesn’t seem to be the same thing as this world sneering at passion altogether
Even her van-ready heavy metal painting is praised, though I frankly think they may be going a bit far with that one
Otoha reveals she has the run of the old schoolhouse until her father’s company starts renovating it
She also says her parents know about her passion, and that she isn’t afraid of revealing it at school either. Her position is secure
Lilisa first wants to settle on their band mission and general rules of play. A surprisingly mature perspective for someone starting their first band, which presumably comes from her father’s influence. It’s true – any band is a rough composite of its individual members’ interests, and even if a group shares a great deal in common artistically, there will still be differences of opinion on what sort of sound they’re seeking, where they want the group to go, how the members should treat each other, and what should be expected of everyone in terms of commitment
My own band had a classic rock lead guitarist, an alt-rock bassist, a punk rock rhythm guitarist, and indie rock me on the drums, with the intersection of those interests falling somewhere between Dinosaur Jr and Weezer
“I’m not here to goof around. This is serious business to me.” Lilisa’s putting a lot on the line here, so she’s hoping that sacrifice will be rewarded. Shades of Nyamu in Ave Mujica, who was easily my favorite member of that group; while the other members were all about nebulous self-indulgence or self-actualization, she was the only member going “you know this is a job, right?”
Otoha apparently sees a vocalist as a crutch, which definitely fits her approach to music. We’re not here to make beautiful harmony, we’re here to do battle via our technical skills
“Singing just gets in the way. Because this song is about us feeling good!” Otoha kinda highlights my complaint with her style of music – it all seems self-indulgent, more about music as physical exertion than emotional expression. As someone who engages in music largely for its emotional, dramatic, and even narrative impact, I obviously fall at the far end of appreciation from someone interested in bravura displays of technique – in my mind, aesthetic tools are only as useful as the dramatic effects they enable. So yeah, not a speed metal guy
Lilisa sets their mission as “Fuji Rock,” the biggest outdoor rock festival in Japan. Frankly, festivals are actually a terrible place to listen to music. The sound quality is awful (plus there’s often noise pollution from other acts), the audiences are only half-listening to any given group, and the performers themselves can’t really build an intimate rapport with the crowd. They’re worth attending once as a general “experience,” but you’ll want smaller, individual venues to really appreciate a group’s act
Lilisa’s one rule is “no more hurling abuse at each other after practice,” which she sees as essential to becoming a Noble Maiden. Frankly, it seems essential just for maintaining their group in general; a collaborative dynamic defined by verbal abuse is bound to collapse pretty much instantly. More than anything, artistic collaboration demands mutual respect and trust; we only feel confident to voice our bravest ideas when we know those thoughts will be generously received
Her reflections on her mother seem to resonate with Otoha
Aaand they’re back to fighting within an hour. Goddamnit, girls
And Done
Well, they’ve done it. Lilisa has somehow agreed to a partnership with the intolerable Otoha, who so effortlessly balances the lofty expectations of society with the sneering self-expression of rock and roll. I was quite amused by how clearly this episode defined Otoha as someone who I’ve absolutely seen before, but could not tolerate personally; her mixture of brash, dog-eat-dog socialization and utter prioritization of technical execution is certainly one type of rock enthusiast, in spite of basically being anathema to my own musical passions. Also intriguing was this episode’s illustration of Lilisa’s self-defeating fears, as she learned that embracing her passionate self can actually dazzle her classmates as surely as her feigned poise. These two may well kill each other, but at least the bloodshed will be set to some killer riffs and thunderous drum fills!
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